What we can learn from Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow represents all that is good in sport. I talked to him about success, failure and what it takes to compete in sports today. Here are some of the things he shared:

Finding success: “We have to worry about what we can control. One thing we can’t control is our talent level, but we can control our attitude, our effort and our focus with everything we do.”

Failure: “A lot of people don’t ever go fight for something because they’re afraid of failure. When you love something and you’re passionate about it, it’s okay to fail at something. I would rather fall down than look back when I’m 50 and regret not having giving it everything I had. I don’t want to have a life that I regret because I never tried.”

Competition. “It’s about winning. That’s when you have fun. I love the thought of striving and straining and literally giving everything you have to a goal or something you’re passionate about. That’s one of the best things about sports. We grow when we push ourselves past these places. I want to be someone that is not stagnant. I want to be someone that is constantly growing, learning, evolving and trying to become a better version of myself every day. ”

Leadership. “All leadership is is influence. A lot of people believe that status gives people influence and leadership. More so than status, I would rather have a relationship. The number one thing I want to do is gain respect.”

The power of sport: “The greatest gift sport has given me is a platform. Not a platform to show that I’ve done anything significant in sport, but a platform to be able to transcend a game and affect people’s lives. We love sports and we care about them, but at the end of the day, it’s just a game. There’s a winner and a loser but people are going to forget the score and one day forget who won. But the lives we get to change, that’s what’s special about sports and that’s what’s going to live so much longer than any win or loss or any championship or any trophy.”